It would be a solitary moment of happiness for Sri Lanka as Rahul was replaced by Manish Pandey. (Source: Reuters)
If Upul Tharanga and Sri Lanka had any moments of relief in the standalone T20I they played against India in Colombo, one would have been when the match – and their agony- ended. The other must have brought relief and jubilation to them and that was when Dasun Shanaka took an absolute stunner to dismiss India’s opener KL Rahul.
Rahul was in the team because of the Shikhar Dhawan having to rush back home to tend to his ailing mother. He opened the innings with Rohit Sharma and soon lost his opening partner to Lasith Malinga. He was then joined in the middle by his captain Virat Kohli and the two seemed to have given their innings a good rhythm. But that notion was only short lived.
It was the sixth over of the match and Seekkugge Prasanna was the bowler. Rahul went for a cover drive off the fourth ball and Shanaka was standing at short cover. As the ball took flight, Shanaka dived to his left and plucked it out of thin air. He then fell on the ground, ensuring that the ball remains in his hand, got up and threw both his hands in the air as his delighted team mates crowded around him.
It would be a solitary moment of happiness for Sri Lanka as Rahul was replaced by Manish Pandey. He stuck on with Kohli and later saw the match off with MS Dhoni. It may have been a match, and a tour, for Sri Lanka to forget but that was one catch that will live on in the memory of Dasun Shanaka. It would also have left Rahul to rue over his love affair with bad luck. Look up Indian players dismissed on 199 in Test cricket for information.
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